Jefferson Journal

The second semester is officially in full swing! It has been an inspiring few weeks watching our Rangers build on the success of the first half of the year.

While the weather outside might be chilly, the energy inside our building is warmer than ever. This is such an exciting time of year because we are seeing incredible progress across all grade levels. There is nothing quite like watching that 'spark' of new knowledge as students connect the dots and gain confidence in what they are learning.

We often say that a school is only as strong as the community behind it, and we would love for you to get involved! Whether you have an hour to spare for our next PTO meeting or would like to volunteer for an upcoming class party, your presence makes a world of difference. These moments allow us to celebrate our students' hard work together and create lasting memories.

Please keep an eye on the calendar below for specific meeting times and volunteer sign-up links. Thank you for your continued partnership—we are so grateful to have you as part of the Ranger family!

Warmly,

Mrs. Platt & Mr. Eberly

35980 Lakeshore Blvd. Eastlake, OH 44095

Office Email: tj.office@weschools.org

Main Office Line: 440-942-7244

Attendance Line: 855-612-7207 (24 Hours)

• Mrs. Candace Platt, Principal
• Mr. David Eberly, Assistant Principal
• Mrs. Lori Dugger, Principal's Secretary
• Mrs. Wendy Flick, Administrative Secretary
• Mrs. Jacque Sparent, Family Liaison
• Ms. Katie Klemencic, School Nurse
• Ms. Priscilla Drewery, Health Aide

• 1/20- January PTO Meeting- 3:10 PM
• 1/29- Rescheduled Class Photo Date
• 1/29- 3rd Grade Music Program at NHS PAC- 7 PM
• 2/16- No School- Presidents' Day
• 2/19- Skating Party- 6-8:30 PM
• 2/20- Sweetheart Dance- 6:30-8:30 PM
• 2/23- No School for Students- Professional Development Day

Due to the Snow Day, we have rescheduled our Class Picture Day for Thursday, 1/29. Information on ordering class pictures were sent home with your child a few weeks ago. If you need a new copy please contact the office at tj.office@weschools.org and we will it home with your child.

• Our classroom Valentine's Day Parties are coming up on Friday, 2/13!
• Many classrooms are still in need of volunteers. The volunteer spots are now open to anyone, even if they have already volunteered at a party this year. If you can help out, please sign up here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090C4AABAE2AA5FB6-58585267-2026#/
• If you are volunteering and plan to take your child or children home with you after, please fill out this form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfqemxcJ5XlWy0Cu3-UnAoKC3HEpXYiBFv-Fm_UYgelXJKceg/viewform?usp=send_form
• PTO covers all the food and drinks for the parties, which allows us to ensure that student allergies and dietary restrictions are taken into account.
  
• Please do not send in any candy or food items to the parties.
  
• When you are shopping for valentines for your child's class, please be sure that you are choosing cards that do not come with any candy or food items. Please choose just cards alone or if you would like to find ones that come with something extra- make sure they are non-food/candy items such as pencils, stickers, etc. We appreciate your help with this! Please contact your child's teacher with any questions.
• If you are in need of assistance with getting your child valentines to hand out to their class, please contact jacque.sparent@weschools.org and we can help.

In Ohio, we know that the weather can change at a moment's notice! Please be sure that your child is dressed appropriately for the changing temperature. We go outside for arrival, dismissal, and recess any time that the wind chill is 20 degrees or above. Winter coats, hats, gloves, and boots are recommended. If you are in need of assistance providing winter weather gear for your child or children, please fill out THIS form and we will try to help.

• Our 25-26 yearbooks are on sale now through April 1st for $15. Yearbook ordering information is being sent home with students this week.
• You can order one online by clicking here: https://cirinophotography.shopyearbook.com/view_account.asp?yearbook_id=93473
• This sale is the only way to buy yearbooks. They are pre-sale only and we will not have any to buy directly from the school at a later time. Please plan to order one before the deadline if you want one!

In December we were focusing on the "D" in our PRIDE Promise which is "Dedicated". Students who exemplified this characteristic were invited to a Party with the Principals at the beginning of January. We had snacks, games, and play time on the playground to recognize these students. In December, we are focusing on "Excellence" and will celebrate with those students at the beginning of February.

Congratulations to the following students for being "Dedicated":

• Kindergarten: Eddy Reed, Mackenzee Lehtonen, Oliver Bartela
• 1st Grade: Kaliyah Huffaker, Eddie McDowell, Dejonte Watkins, Austin Weiss, Roman Brown, Chasity McClain
• 2nd Grade: Carter Scalese, Sofia Scalese ,Milo Nahra
• 3rd Grade: Skylar Sansom, Tristan Thomas, Tim Willis, Lance Hambrick
• 4th Grade: Katelyn Newberry, Adelaide Zontini, Evan Veres, Elivia Cantrell
• 5th Grade: Grayson Gunnoe, Kian Anderson, Jaxon Wisen

Attendance Matters! Every week we award the homeroom with the best attendance from the week before with our attendance trophy! They get to have it (and bragging rights!) for the week until they pass it to the next winners. Any homeroom that wins three times in a grading period will get a special prize.

Congratulations to our winners: Miss Henrich's Class and Mrs. Lane's Class

Students are nominated by our staff members for showing PRIDE and kindness and recognized weekly. Keep up the great work!

We have a limited number of new Jefferson Rangers t-shirts left. Click the button below to order and we will send them home with your student immediately. Please be sure to type the student’s first and last name when ordering.

Welcome to the 2025-26 school year! We have a lot of fun things planned this year, but first get to know the PTO!

President: Diana Warner
Vice President: Marcia Gamiere
Secretary: Katie Pavlick
Treasurer: Melissa Grinstead

Contact: jefferson.pto01@gmail.com

Even though we didn't reach our big goal, the PTO decided that this science show is just too fun to pass up. So because of your generous donations and hard work, we are excited to bring this fun and engaging assembly to our school!

On March 13th we will be hosting Professor Wow and his amazing science show. Students will experience the fantastic, 12-foot tall “Foam Monster,” the impossible “Balloons in Orbit,” the uproariously funny “Bernoulli TP Wipe Out Challenge” and the “Super-Colossal Vortex Cannon.” They learn that nothing is impossible—as long as it obeys the laws of science!

We have a very active PTO and we are always looking for more people to get involved to help create fun, engaging, and memorable experiences for our students and families! You are already a member of the PTO by having a child attend our school. There are no membership fees and requirements- plan to attend a meeting!

PTO meets on the third Tuesday of every month at 3:10 PM at Jefferson Elementary. Your child can stay after school to have a snack and do a fun activity with one of our staff members while you attend our meeting! The meetings are typically under an hour each time. You can come to a meeting or two or attend every one throughout the year. We cannot wait to meet you!

If you would like your child to stay after school so you can attend our next meeting, please fill out the form below. Thank you!

• Students may not pass out birthday invitations. If the family is having a party and wants to invite the entire class, the parent may contact the teacher and request for the teacher to pass the invitations out to all students in the class. NO FOOD BIRTHDAY TREATS MAY BE SENT IN TO SCHOOL THROUGH THE STUDENT OR DROPPED OFF IN THE OFFICE. We will contact the family to pick these up. Thank you for your cooperation!

• Outside Food Deliveries are Prohibited (Uber Eats, GrubHub, etc). If a student forgets a lunch, and the family can’t drop one off prior to the student lunch period, we will provide them with a school lunch.

• Student cell phones must be turned off and stored in student backpacks. Students may not have their cell phones in their pockets (pants, sweatshirts, jackets etc). Some bus drivers allow kids to use their phones on the bus, but they should not be walking in or out of school with them in their hands/pockets.
• Offense #1 - Staff Member reminds the student to turn the phone off and put it in their backpack (notify classroom teacher for tracking purposes).
  • Classroom teacher discretion whether to notify parents or not.
• ​​​Offense #2 - Staff Member takes the student’s phone and keeps it in their possession (or gives it to the classroom teacher to keep in their possession) until the end of the school day.
  • Classroom teacher will notify parents of the 2nd offense and warn about the consequences of a third offense.
• Offense #3 - Staff Member notifies the classroom teacher and brings the student’s cell phone to the office.
• Principal or Assistant Principal calls home and informs parents that the phone will remain in the office until picked up by the parent.

• Smart watches may only be used to tell time. If students are using them for communication or gaming purposes, they will follow the same rules above stated for cell phones.

  Students are not allowed to have their personal headphones (airpods, earbuds) during class time (unless approved by teacher for use), recess, or during ENCORE classes. Unauthorized use of these items will result in the above stated processes for cell phones and smart watches.

• Students should not bring their own toys, balls, or electronics to school and may not bring them out to recess. If they do bring them to school (for before/after school use), this is at their own risk, and they need to be kept in the student’s backpack. The school is NOT responsible for lost or stolen items.

• Students may wear hoodies inside the school, but they must keep their hoods down at all times. Having hoods up makes it difficult to identify students and their actions, and often leads to academic disengagement. Hats are not permitted inside the school unless it is a designated “hat day”.